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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26700955">Unlikely, Unforeseen Romance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frostbite711/pseuds/Frostbite711'>Frostbite711</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Raelynn Chronicles [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mass Effect Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:41:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26700955</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frostbite711/pseuds/Frostbite711</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Stubborn turian. Smartass human."</p><p>Spectre Raelynn Shepard, aka the Demoness of Death, is assigned to work as the XO of the Normandy under Commander Garrus Vakarian, aka Archangel, only two years after the Relay 314 Incident came to a conclusion. Tensions are high aboard the ship between the two commanders and their people, and it's only made worse when Raelynn's old flame -- Nihlus Kyrik -- who is observing Garrus to be the first human Spectre, tags along.</p><p>Shepard is a Turian, Garrus is a Human AU.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Garrus Vakarian/Original Female Turian Character(s), Nihlus Kryik/Female Shepard, Original Female Turian/Nihlus Kyrik</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Raelynn Chronicles [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raelynn Shepard didn’t consider herself the overly religious type, but when she received her newest orders from the Council, she asked the Spirits what the hell they were thinking.</p><p>The female turian stared at the message on her omnitool, dread and apprehension pooling in her stomach. If it was possible, she sank a little lower in the chair of the tram car, keening softly at her new predicament.</p><p>Just this morning, she’d received news that she would be the new XO of a ship called the <em> Normandy </em>. This ship was designed by human and turian engineers and would feature crew members from each race. She had yet to meet the CO and she knew nothing about him except that he was human. Sure, they’d sent her the dossier, but she rarely ever looked at them, she preferred to get to know people through their actions rather than their files.</p><p>The brightest side about this mission was that she could finally leave the station and stop playing politician or bodyguard.</p><p>As it was, she was currently heading to the docking bay where she would meet the CO -- hopefully -- and then get ready for their take off. She had packed barely anything aside from the essentials: her civvies and armor, some model ships to construct, and her custom M-76 Revenant which constantly modded. No, she had no other weapons besides that. She was a biotic, a spectre, and a turian. She was a living weapon.</p><p>She glanced to the side where her duffle bag was and sighed. She hadn’t been given much choice on this matter. If she had, she didn’t even know if she would want to be on the ship. She didn’t really hate humans, but she bore them no love either. They were just people and they made mistakes. Of course, both races were at fault for the Relay 314 incident.</p><p>Humans coming in prepared for a fight which the Turians met with full force. It didn’t take long before they practically decimated the humans fighting, or at least had gotten enough attention from the Citadel that they’d stepped in.</p><p>Raeylnn flicked her mandibles at the thought, remembering the rush of the battle, her biotics making her glow blue as she darted around, firing at the humans. She enjoyed the rush of battle, but she didn’t enjoy the killing. Back then, she’d just been following orders, although thinking about it now, she could’ve done more to not be so ruthless. That had been just over 2 years ago, when she was 24.</p><p>Her mandibles clicked softly at the recollection before she glanced up as the tram slowed. Sitting up, she peered out the window of the tram, noting that the tram had stopped just outside C-Sec Academy.</p><p>Humming to herself, she reached over and grabbed her bag, pulling it with her and throwing it over a shoulder as she headed inside to go to Docking Bay D24. As the elevator made it ascent, she couldn’t help but look at her reflection in the glass door. Her emerald green eyes seemed to glow. Meanwhile, delicate red colony markings lay upon her face, standing in stark contrast to her dark black face plates. She had a smaller frame then some females, but what she lacked in size she made up for in tenacity. She was considered attractive for her race, or so she’d been told -- she hadn’t really cared all that much about her appearance, although it did explain part of why she was so popular with the males.</p><p>She gripped her bag straps a little tighter as the elevator stopped at her destination and opened up. She glanced around a moment before she exited, heading toward the ship. As she came into the line of sight of the ship, she halted in her tracks, her breath catching. The ship was gorgeous. Her models didn’t hold a candle to the <em> Normandy. </em></p><p>She moved toward the edge of the railing, gaping at it softly, her hands wrapping around the rails. She wanted to touch the ship, she wanted to fly it. Unfortunately for her, if she drove it, she’d probably make everyone regret letting her on board. Her driving wasn't really “safe” even if she got to where she wanted on time and intact.</p><p>“She’s a beauty, isn’t she,” came a voice by her side, startling her from her awe.</p><p>She turned to look at who had spoken and noticed a human male standing besides her. The man was shorter than she by only a few inches, but he put out an air that commanded respect. Her eyes narrowed as she looked over his features, realizing he looked familiar.</p><p>Black fringe -- hair, she reminded herself -- that wasn’t too long or too short. Semi-tan skin and a decently muscled build. Sharp cheekbone, thin yet full lips. And perhaps the most striking part of him: icy blue eyes. Eye that drew you in and made you want to stare. She briefly wondered if that eye color was natural in humans.</p><p>The man turned to face her and gave her a lopsided grin. He seemed to be studying her as well before he held out a hand. “Commander Garrus Vakarian, CO of this fine ship,” he introduced.</p><p>She felt something in her stomach lurch as she heard his name. Garrus Vakarian. Code name: Archangel. A bane to the Turians during the Relay 314 incident and perhaps her arch nemesis during that time. She’d never really gotten to see his face up close before due to always meeting him on the battlefield, but she suddenly felt like the brunt of some cruel joke.</p><p>Why the hell did the Hierarchy assign her to work with the man who had killed so many? Especially when she had also killed plenty of his kind.</p><p>“I’m going to guess considering that you’re the last person to arrive that you’re my Executive Officer?” he asked, breaking her from her thoughts and reminding her to focus on the presence.</p><p>She blinked a little and nodded. Tentatively, she reached out and grabbed his hand. She was surprised to feel his strong grip as he shook her hand. “Spectre Raelynn Shepard,” she said with a slight dip of her head.</p><p>His eyebrows raised at her name. “Shepard, huh?” his gaze seemed to study her a bit more intensely to the point where she wanted to squirm, before he let go and stepped away. “Well, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Why don’t you head inside and I’ll make sure we have everything set for takeoff. Spectre Kyrick ...is already inside, he can show you around.”</p><p>She perked up at that. Nihlus? Thank goodness there was another turian on board, and one she was familiar with. <em> Perhaps too familiar </em>, she thought to herself as her mandibles flicked outwards in a slight smile while she headed into the ship, her bag over her shoulder.</p><p>After entering the ship and going through the decontamination process, she stepped onto the main deck, the CIC and took a look around, breathing in the smell of the ship as she did so. She spotted quite a few humans walking around with a few Turians here and there as well. There seemed to be a bit of tension between the two groups, but that was to be expected considering the two races had only recently signed the peace treaty.</p><p>It took her barely a moment before she heard a familiar flanging voice calling her name and she turned to smile at the speaker. “Shepard! Good to see you made it,” Nihlus said as he walked over, she winced slightly at the formality in his voice, remembering a time when he didn’t put a distance between them.</p><p>“Glad to be here,” she said. “Especially if I get to see you a bit more.”</p><p>His brow plates lifted and he gave her a look like they would be talking later when there weren’t so many people around. He very well knew her reluctance about being around so many humans. Especially considering the title she’d been given from them: The Demoness of Death. It was a struggle not to move her talons up to lightly trace the scars upon her face that had been part of how she’d earned that name.</p><p>“Anyway, the Commander said you could show me around.”</p><p>“Ah yes,” he responded, his mandibles flicking out. “Since we’re here on the CIC, let’s introduce you to the pilot. He’s quite the interesting character,” he told her as he led her to the helm.</p><p>Upon reaching it, he gestured to the seat where a human male sat in front of the console. “Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. Said to be the top of his class,” he introduced.</p><p>Hearing his name, the human swiveled his chair around and looked up at the two turians. “I am the top of my class. Trust me, you want me as your pilot. Also, please call me Joker.”</p><p>She was slightly taken aback by the human. Like usual, she hadn’t read much about the crew, wanting to meet them in person before making any decisions about them, so she hadn’t known what to expect about the man before her. “Spectre Raelynn Shepard,” she replied, tilting her head at him just slightly.</p><p>“The XO, yeah. I heard. Nice to meet you,” he said.</p><p>“You as well.”</p><p>Then he swiveled back to the console. “Well, I won’t keep you, I’d better prepare for us to head out. This ship won’t fly itself.”</p><p>“Yeah, imagine that,” she remarked. She paused a moment before following Nihlus as he led the way back to the CIC to the elevator, talking about a few of the other crew members as they went. It seemed her friend had already gotten himself acquainted with the crew, or at least enough to know their names and the basics. She smiled to herself. Of course he did. Nihlus was always the one to read the files and get to know who he was working with on a professional level, unlike her who liked to know people on a more...personal way.</p><p>“Before I show you most of the main deck, we’ll get you to your quarters so you can drop off your bag. I’m sure you don’t want to lug that around the entire ship.”</p><p>“You’re right. It would be quite awkward.”</p><p>He glanced at her and smiled. A smile that reminded her of a thousand different nights together. Nights where it was just the two of them. Nights that were long past since she became a Spectre. Then as quickly as it came, the smile disappeared as the elevator stopped and he began to lead her through the main deck where her private quarters and the crew members quarters were.</p><p>They passed by the crews sleeping quarters on their way to her room where she dropped her bag. She was fully prepared to unload her bag once she got the time, but for now she would allow Nihlus to show her around.</p><p>On this deck they had the main battery which was nestled between her bedroom and the medbay, right behind the mess hall. Then the Starboard and Port observation decks, the Life Support Control Room, which were nearby the elevator. Then he took her to show her the engineering deck and the docking bay. She noticed in the docking bay there was decent room to spar, and guessing by some mats shoved in a corner, was where the crew would probably be spending type “letting off steam”.</p><p>After the tour, the two of them headed back up to the CIC deck. Raelynn was required to be there to help see them off, and Nihlus just wanted to be there. She didn’t have any objections to it.</p><p>As the two of them reached the CIC, she spotted Garrus on board finally, making his way toward the front of the ship. She clicked her mandibles together and made her way towards him, Nihlus trailing behind her. She stopped once she stood next to the commander and she gave him a slight look to see him watching her as well, his intelligent blue eyes studying her. No doubt he knew exactly who she was, although he didn’t seem to be making  a big deal out of it yet.</p><p>He then turned to their pilot. “Joker, take us out of here and head for Eden Prime,” he said.</p><p>“Right away, Commander,” the man replied.</p><p>Raelynn turned her attention from the Commander to look out the windows as they began to pull out of the docking bay and head for the stars. She always loved space and watching the galaxy, having grown up in space for most of her life. Perhaps that was part of why she had a fascination with ships.</p><p>“Commander, I’ve heard about Eden Prime. It’s said to be an example of what humans can accomplish,” Nihlus said, pulling her from her thoughts.</p><p>She glanced behind her at Nihlus before focusing on the Vakarian.</p><p>“I suppose. I’ve never seen it myself,” he said.</p><p>“Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere?” She suggested, her hands folded behind her back as she tipped her head away from the pilot.</p><p>“Good point,” Nihlus commented before he turned and made his way to the comm room with her following closely behind him. Part of her really wanted to speak to Nihlus alone, but that would have to wait until after this conversation was over.</p><p>The two turians reached the Comm room in silence. Raelynn crossed her arms and rested her weight on her left leg as they waited for the Commander to follow.  He was only a few steps behind them, having stopped to talk to some of the crew before entering.</p><p>“Vakarian, Shepard, what do you know about this mission?” Nihlus asked, looking between the two of them.</p><p>Raelynn lifted her brow plates at Nihlus. He rarely ever used her last name, but she supposed he was trying to be professional, even if it hurt. She shrugged. “The Hierarchy didn’t tell me anything, just that I was to be the XO for the ship.”</p><p>He gave her a curious look before looking towards the human.</p><p>“I was told it was a shakedown run, but considering I have not one but two spectres onboard, this seems a whole lot more complicated.”</p><p>Nihlus nodded, his subharmonics rumbling out approval. “Correct. You see, there was a Prothean beacon uncovered by some scientists. In good faith, the Council entrusted me to come along and help secure it...That and to judge you for Spectre status.”</p><p>Both the CO and XO looked at the spectre in slight surprise. “Why wasn’t I informed of this?” Raelynn asked, stepping forward just a tad, her arms dropping to her sides.</p><p>“I seem to recall you saying that you preferred to learn things on the fly. That and you are here as Vakarian’s XO, not as a Council Spectre. You’re here to try mending the bond between our two peoples.”</p><p>She bristled. “You’re right about learning things on the fly, but that’s about people, not missions. You should know that much about me,” she growled, feeling a spark of anger ignite within her.</p><p>He flashed her a look that told her they’d speak on this later, his subharmonics rumbling out a warning.</p><p>She grumbled softly but took a step back, crossing her arms and looking away pointedly. She felt anger rolling over inside her. Why didn’t he tell her about this?</p><p>Garrus meanwhile, glanced between the two of them, watching them for a moment before he turned to look at Nihlus.</p><p>“Last time something like this was discovered, it launched us humans forward by decades.”</p><p>Nihlus gave a nod of acknowledgment. “No one knows what this beacon holds, so you should both be able to understand how important this could be. And having a human on board this mission along with a spectre will help you solidify your peoples alliance with Council and the other races on the Citadel.”</p><p>Garrus nodded, crossing his arms. “I understand. But why send two spectres and not just one?”</p><p>Nihlus let out a rumble. “The council and your human leaders have been considering putting forth a human as a spectre. They suggested that I be the one to review your candidacy. As you can probably already tell, Shepard here is not the best to review you having had such close contact with your people during the Relay 314 incident.”</p><p>Raelynn glanced towards Nihlus and shifted a bit as Garrus cast his gaze toward her.</p><p>“And yet they chose me to be a spectre.”</p><p>Nihlus shook his head. “I put your name forth. Who better to join the spectre ranks then someone who proved themselves through the war what they are truly capable of? And if this crew works out, it will show just how well you can cooperate with those you used to call enemies.”</p><p>Her gaze dashed toward Nihlus, her eyes narrowing and his gaze met her own. She understood the subharmonics he rumbled out to her. This wasn’t just a test for Garrus, but a test for her. She had been a spectre due to being the one to bring to light what the Hierarchy had been doing and saving a few innocent humans near the end of the war, but she had yet to prove how well she could work alongside humans. If this mission and this crew was successful, she would finally be tasked with working somewhere beyond the Citadel --no longer dealing with politicians and helping out C-Sec.</p><p>Without trying too, her subharmonics became appreciative of Nihlus and the look in his eyes told her he understood. But she still intended to talk to him about why he’d kept her out of the loop.</p><p>“I see...well, that does explain a lot of things. But not why the Demoness of Death is my XO.”</p><p>Hearing her title from the war outloud made her wince, and with the look Nihlus gave her, he heard.</p><p>“Shepard is also being tested. She has yet to prove herself to be able to work with humans. Before tasking her with any missions on her own that could end up with her working with only humans, they wanted to see how well she could work with some familiar faces around.”</p><p>Garrus nodded. “Makes sense. So you are here to observe and report back to the council on both of us as well as oversee that this mission goes smoothly.”</p><p>“Correct. Now I believe we have a few days before we reach our destination, so there will be plenty more time to go over the mission and our objectives,” Nihlus said.</p><p>“Right...not that I need to tell you, but dismissed,” Garrus said, clapping his hands together once.</p><p>Raelynn gave him a passing glance as she turned and headed to her room to finally get set up. As she headed to the elevator, Nihlus joined her. When the doors closed, the two of them were alone. She glanced sideways to look at him to notice him doing the exact same. He didn’t let her in on his thoughts, and a part of her felt a pang of sadness. She remembers a time when the two of them had been together -- before she’d become a spectre.</p><p>She wondered if he remembered their time as fondly as she did, or if he no longer had feelings for her. A lot could change in a year.</p><p>When the elevator reached her floor, she headed out to her room, Nihlus following her. As she entered and walked over to her bag, she paused and looked over at him as he closed the door behind him.</p><p>“I wanted to...talk about earlier.”</p><p>“Oh? What about?” she asked, suddenly remembering how he hadn’t informed her of the situation and instead let her come aboard blind. Her subharmonics rumbled out her annoyance.</p><p>“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. But if I’d told you, would you have come aboard?” He attempted using soothing subharmonics which just annoyed her more.</p><p>She paused and took a deep breath before standing and facing him. “I would have liked to have known what I was getting myself into. All I had was a word from the council saying I’d be working with a human, much less the one who slaughtered millions of our kind with ease, the one who gave me…” she paused and her hand ghosted up to her scar for a moment. Then she shook her head and focused her gaze on Nihlus. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. After all our time together, did I mean nothing to you? Were you just preying upon a weak soldier who needed comfort?”</p><p>Nihlus was silent as he stared at her in shock, hurt flickering through his gaze. As she watched his face, she realized she’d gone too far.</p><p>“I think you need some time alone,” was all he said before he turned. “Just know that I did what I thought would be best,” he said as he left her room, leaving her alone to stare after him.</p><p>Feeling alone and hollow, she turned around, her heart tearing inside her carapace. She hadn’t meant to get angry at him, but she was upset that he hadn’t warned her of the devil who she now lived and would be working with. She just hoped that he didn’t remember everything she did and try to retaliate. She sighed to herself and sunk to her knees, resting her head on the couch that was near the window and looking out quietly, watching the stars move by.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As you can tell, this story doesn't follow the main story. I'm going to try keeping some interesting things from the original content, but changing somethings here and there so it fits with my narrative. I have found that I really like writing for Raelynn and have some content that I would like to use for other stories not tied to much to the original ME story.</p><p>I had another note here, but for some reason it decided to just...poof. So I had to make this one with less information.</p><p>As always, if you liked this story, please comment, kudo, or bookmark!</p><p>~ * Stay Frosty! * ~</p><p>If you guys want to contact me or keep up-to-date on my current/ongoing projects, you can find me at:<br/>Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Frostbite711/<br/>Twitter: https://twitter.com/Frostbite7111<br/>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frostbite_711/<br/>Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/frostbite_711<br/>Tumblr: https://lovefrostbite711.tumblr.com<br/>Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/frostbite711<br/>Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI0MMQy48NKLdo7eNfIPrng</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He’d known as soon as he’d first seen her who she was. The coloring of her faceplates and colony markings, the emerald green eyes, and the stature in which she carried herself too easily told him that the turian before him was the Demoness of Death. He could recognize her anywhere after so long of fighting her and seeing her move across the battlefield.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes couldn’t help but notice the scar on the left side of her face and he couldn’t help but feel a bit proud about that. He remembered using a concussive shot on her. He hadn’t seen the damage it had caused as she’d disappeared from his view after that. And then shortly after, the war had ended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did his best to be civil to her, even while part of his blood boiled, remembering how many of his men she’d killed. He could see she eyed him warily, and he knew after he told her who she was that she knew him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did have to hand it to her though, she found the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Normandy</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be as much of a beauty as he did, her mandibles having flared out as soon as she’d spotten the ship. Part of him wondered why she was even assigned to him, and why he now had so many turians to work with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He understood the concept, the Council wanted humans and turians to try getting along, and what better way to do it then aboard a ship created and commanded by a mixed crew of the two species? He wouldn’t be surprised if the turian councilor was actually going to use any screw ups that happened as a way to blame humanity and make them look bad. He wouldn’t put it past him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It certainly didn’t help that the human ambassador was a complete and total ass...and a fool. Garrus growled softly at the thought as he entered the ship, heading up to the bridge to make sure their course was set.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And of course, both turian spectres were following close behind as he set a course for Eden Prime. He glanced towards the two turians. Would they attack a colony of humans? He wouldn’t put it past them considering how it had only been two years since the war had ended. If they did, he would stop them, council be damned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The male, Nihlus Kyrik he recalled, asked him a question or two about Eden Prime which he answered before Nihlus suggested continuing the conversation elsewhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garrus stared after them as the two left the bridge, narrowing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never thought I’d see the day where two turian spectres were on board at the same time. It’s kind concerning, don’t you think, Commander?” Joker asked, pulling him from his thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed in agreement. “Honestly, I don’t know if I trust them. Just...just don’t try to aggravate them. Who knows what they will do,” he said to the pilot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye, aye, Commander.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that response, Garrus took his leave, heading to the comm room where he’d seen the two turians head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the discussion with Nihlus and Shepard where Nihlus revealed the truth behind the mission to Eden Prime, he felt a sort of satisfaction that Shepard had been left out of the loop, and that she was also being tested like himself. He did find it odd that he was being considered for a Spectre, but he wasn’t going to raise a fuss about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After he dismissed the two, he watched them leave and then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. This was going to be an interesting trip for sure. He wasn’t certain about either of the spectres, especially the Demoness, but he would attempt to make an effort to be cordial, even if his stomach churned at the thought. It was hard to break through years of fighting the turians to suddenly make peace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left the comm room then and headed to the CIC, stepping up the stairway to look down at the Galaxy Map to check over their progress. It would probably be a few hours before they arrived, so Garrus stepped away from the map and heading to the elevator so he could head up to his cabin. He stood in front of the door quietly, arms crossed as he waited for it to come. It seemed Nihlus and Shepard had headed down to the crew deck, where everyone but Garrus slept.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily, the elevator didn’t take long, but he paused as he spotted Nihlus inside. There was a look in his eyes that made Garrus frown. He wasn’t good at reading Turian facial expressions, but the male seemed upset.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re in a foul mood, I can just wait,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nihlus looked at him and then sighed, shaking his head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t let my emotions get the better of me.” he waved his hand and stepped aside for Garrus to enter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a careful look, he entered, his eyes darting toward Nihlus’s talons for just a moment, knowing just how well those could pierce human skin. As the doors closed, a silence befell over them. Garrus didn’t doubt that it would be more tense if it had been him and Shepard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So...mind if I ask what got you so worked up?” he asked tentatively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nihlus huffed and looked at him. “Just a small personal matter. It shouldn’t affect the mission, so don’t worry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tone in his voice had Garrus giving him a scrutinizing look. He opened his mouth to try prying before Nihlus spoke up again, “I believe we are at the floor your cabin is on. If you intend to get off that is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right…” Garrus drawled, stepping out of the elevator and giving Nihlus frown. He would try getting to the bottom of what happened, but probably best not to for now. Turning, he headed into his cabin and looked around. It was very nice and spacious. It was the first time he’d been on this ship as captain as it had just been handed to him by Anderson the night before, when he’d been introduced to Nihlus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking over to his desk, he checked the computer before he pulled up the files on Eden Prime and what he had of the mission. He also pulled up the files of the crew. No surprise, Nihlus and Shepard’s were heavily redacted, even though he knew some of what Shepard had done in the war.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed to himself and continued his research.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alenko, Jenkins, suit up and meet me at the docking bay. Shepard, you’re in charge,” Garrus said over the coms as he stood in the cockpit next to Joker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d finally arrived at Eden Prime, and the Commander was already in his armor, his arms crossed as he stepped back from the com. He glanced slightly behind him where Shepard was, her face unreadable aside from a small flick of her mandibles and a hardening of her gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With all due respect, Commander, you have no idea what’s going on on the surface. Shouldn’t you prepare--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m the Commanding officer of this ship, don’t argue with me, Shepard,” Garrus interrupted, holding a hand up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not just your XO, I’m a Spectre as well,” she retorted, crossing her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re also a turian. Aren’t you all a very militaristic race who follow the orders of their superiors?” He couldn’t help but curl his lip at his question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her emerald eyes flickered like wildfire and she let out a soft growl. “Smart ass human,” she said softly under her breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes flicked to her briefly before he headed toward the elevator with her at his heels. The two of them reached the docking bay where Jenkins and Alenko were suiting up while Nihlus was checking his gun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nihlus, you’re going with them?” Shepard asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced at her and narrowed his eyes. His voice came out hard and professional. “Yes, it’s better to observe his progress if I’m on the ground as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’ll be tailing us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not exactly. I’ll be going a separate direction. We’ll keep in radio contact.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure that’s wise Nihlus?” Shepard stepped forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been a spectre longer than you have, Shepard. You know just as well as I that both Garrus and I can handle ourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She narrowed her eyes and stepped back. “Fine. Guess I won’t see you off,” she said, a slight hint of anger in her voice, before she spun around and headed back for the elevator.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garrus only gave her a glance before checking on Alenko and Jenkins, making sure they were ready. Then he looked to Nihlus, watching as the turian then raced out and jumped out of the ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ready?” Garrus asked his team.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they both gave him confirmation, the three of them followed after Nihlus and jumped out of the frigate near the designated landing zone.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Welp, I hope you enjoyed a short chapter from Garrus. It's interesting writing him as a human as I'm so used to reading/writing him as a Turian so this is going to be interesting the further we get into it.</p><p>Also, if you're curious I am using ME2's layout for The Normandy because I've always preferred that one over any of the other layouts.</p><p>As always, if you enjoyed this story, please leave a comment, kudo, or bookmark!</p><p>~ * Stay Frosty! *~</p><p>If you guys want to contact me or keep up-to-date on my current/ongoing projects, you can find me at:<br/>Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Frostbite711/<br/>Twitter: https://twitter.com/Frostbite7111<br/>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frostbite_711/<br/>Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/frostbite_711<br/>Tumblr: https://lovefrostbite711.tumblr.com<br/>Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/frostbite711<br/>Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI0MMQy48NKLdo7eNfIPrng</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story doesn't follow the main story line (obviously) so please try to keep this in mind. This story is also a pet project of mine as I wanted to try making a Turian Shepard. Then she developed into something more, so....I will eventually write a few random side stories about her. I hope you enjoyed!</p><p>As always, please leave bookmarks, comments and/or kudos!</p><p>~ * Stay Frosty! * ~</p><p>If you guys want to contact me or keep up-to-date on my current/ongoing projects, you can find me at:<br/>Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Frostbite711/<br/>Twitter: https://twitter.com/Frostbite7111<br/>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frostbite_711/<br/>Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/frostbite_711<br/>Tumblr: https://lovefrostbite711.tumblr.com<br/>Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/frostbite711<br/>Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI0MMQy48NKLdo7eNfIPrng</p></blockquote></div></div>
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